Hill Country Chronicle

WASHINGTON, DC — On May 11, Representative Chip Roy (R-TX-21) addressed the House chamber ahead of Congress’ vote on H.R. 2, The Secure the Border Act 2023.

Footage of the full speech can be found here, and a transcript is below:

We're here today because of the abject failure of the administration to do its fundamental duty to protect the United States. We have a wide-open border — empowering cartels, empowering China, to the detriment of the American citizens and to the migrants that seek to come here — supposedly, in the name of compassion. But that is in a false name of compassion.

Dead migrants lying along the Rio Grande and in ranches in South Texas. The extent to which migrants suffer in the Texas heat, 53 dying in a tractor trailer last summer in San Antonio. Thousands being sold into sex trafficking trade – being used as crass political pawns by a party devoid of anything substantive to take this country forward.

But Republicans are standing up strongly to make sure that this country will stand for the rule of law that sets our country apart around the globe and attracts so many to want to come here.

Border Patrol right now apprehended over 10,000 migrants on both Monday and 11,000 Tuesday — the highest single day totals ever recorded.

26,000 got-aways. 660,000 migrants waiting in Mexico. The president of Guatemala confirming 80,000 Venezuelan migrants are traveling to the US ahead of Title 42’s expiration. 15,000 Venezuelan migrants crossed into Brownsville. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said he estimated 60,000 to 65,000 migrants are in northern Mexico.

I got a text from local law enforcement yesterday saying, “We are almost at Broken Arrow.”

Every sector is near 150% capacity. DHS is calling for border agents or other north and coast sectors to help the southern border. The first 550 in a group of 1500 service members of the Army and Marines were set to arrive. A shootout between the Mexican army and human smugglers erupted at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge. Schools in El Paso are adding more security. El Paso ran out of shelter. El Paso declared an emergency. Brownsville declared an emergency. Laredo declared an emergency. San Antonio is preparing; their migrant shelters are expressing concerns over being overwhelmed.

Even our nation's capital is being overwhelmed. And now, the New York City Mayor, a sanctuary city, criticizing busing, is busing migrants outside of New York City out to the suburbs, because my Democratic colleagues, and the Democratic administration, and Democratic leaders, in so-called “sanctuary” cities, don't give a wit about migrants.It's about political power. And they are costing lives. They are endangering Americans. They are causing children to die from fentanyl poisoning, and they know it. And that is what is so pathetic and sad.But Republicans offer legislation today that would force this administration to do the job it refuses to do. By ending the magnet, by stopping the releases, by forcing us to do the job we're supposed to do to protect unaccompanied children from being on the top of train cars being subjected to the abuses of cartels, holding families together while we adjudicate claims of asylum, and yes, provide for a path for asylum while making sure we don't create a magnet for the abuse of migrants in the false name of compassion.Republicans are leading. We are doing the job the President refuses to do – the American people know it. They're going to see it, and my Democratic colleagues are going to suffer the consequences for this abject failure.

Original source can be found here.